In The News

Protecting our Region’s Diversity by Collecting Seed

Picking a path through the forest and mountains of North Carolina last month, two botanists were on the hunt for treasure. Their expedition took them to wild populations of Trillium, a rare native plant that blooms in early spring. They had found what they were looking for: seeds.

Dr. L.L. “Chick” Gaddy and Amy Highland spent the previous year carefully planning the expedition, making sure they would find the plants when the seed was ripe and ready to collect. They did research, corroborating it with local experts, and got permits to access the land and collect from these protected species.